Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds: Blue Moon Rising EP

The british artist’s 5-track EP features a new standout tune and two britpop-flavored songs

If you were a fan of Oasis in the 90s, you know everything about Liam and Noel Gallagher: two strong personalities who argued about anything. As much as they tried to reconcile (did they?), there was no chance for the two brothers to continue their musical journey together and, if you hadn’t taken part in their feud until then, from the moment the band split (in 2009) you had to. Since Liam and Noel parted their ways, they also parted their artistic directions so it’s never been a matter of who is better than the other, but just of who makes music that is closer to your taste.

I chose Noel: since he started his solo project, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, he surprised me more than once moving away from his old sound and I like the songs that came out from his adventurous spirit. However, that doesn’t mean he repudiated his roots: he likes to go back to old-school britpop every now and then.

Blue Moon Rising is the name of his new 5-track EP that was released on March 6, 2020. There’s not much music to predict what’s to come, but enough to understand that Noel is still doing whatever he wants, no matter what fans and critics say.

With this mini EP, he gives the audience one experimental song and two Oasis-flavored tunes. The title-track, Blue Moon Rising, is a disco-rock gem: introduced by a toe-tapping beat, the song is a blend of lounge elements, vintage atmospheres and modern synths. The lyrics are cryptic and intriguing (When the night is falling / And the land is cold / And that secret you found in your pocket / Will remain untold) and it seems like Noel leaves to the listener the task to decode the message.

The EP also includes two remixes of the song: the first one, Blue Moon Rising – The Reflex is an enjoyable seven-minute version that puts the accent on the drums and features some more electronic intrusions; the 7’ Mix is a shorter version that adds little to the original.

Wandering Star and Come On Outside are Noel’s homage to his britpop past: the first song was released in November 2019 and it’s a Christmas-tinged ballad about love. The second is an invitation to take action and fight for what you want, a song which sounds like a classic stadium anthem that Oasis fans will enjoy.

Overall, the EP will please all fan parties, but Blue Moon Rising is the most iconic track of this work and Noel’s real gift to us before the release of his new album.